Those were the last words of Sgt. Stuart 'Gus' Millar, killed in a grenade attack in Afghanistan last year.

This week the father of the tragic Black Watch soldier told of his pride after discovering that even at the end, his son was thinking of others.

Well-known Kingskettle man Gus Millar recently returned from Fort George barracks, near Inverness, where he and his family were presented with the Elizabeth Cross and Memorial Scroll, a new award that recognises the families of armed forces personnel who have died on operations.

They received the award from Prince Charles on behalf of 40-year-old Stuart's wife Jillian, who was too upset to attend, and it will be given pride of place in her Inverness home as a poignant keepsake for the couple's two-year-old daughter Grace.

Gus, who is an active member of the Kingskettle community along with his partner Ishabel, told the Fife Herald that just before he made the trip to Fort George, Stuart's company commander gave him a detailed report of the circumstances surrounding his death.

He was in charge of a mortar platoon and was killed along with 24-year-old Private Kevin Elliott of Dundee on August 31 after being ambushed by insurgents while patrolling the Babaji district of Helmand province.

Gus said: "He was hit by a grenade and sustained a hole in the side of his head the side of a fist. But he said: 'I'm done for, just deal with the other lads.'

"That was typical of him, always thinking of others before himself.

"He died doing the job he loved, and I'm proud that he was so brave and selfless."

Read more in the Fife Herald.